Bad Badenhof Bats
The Bad Badenhof Bats were Aedilred's third team in the GitP Blood Bowl League. Firm underdogs for most of the final season, they were eventually crowned cup champions in the final season. Before the League The latest team out of Bad Badenhof, the Bats were formed after the destruction of the Bad Wreck and the dissolution of the Anlec Razors. Thanks to a hefty insurance payout on the Wreck, Aedilred was looking around for a new investment opportunity when a mysterious stranger identifying himself as Count Stefan-Franszigor von Varné-Bathory approached him with a proposition for a fresh team. Most of the players for the new team came from the Count's existing amateur team, the Bad Badenhof und Vells Bekloppt und Kinderessen Bischoffen-Lectoren, formed largely from his friends and acquaintances - although as part of the buyout the name was changed and somewhat shortened, Aedilred figuring that their previous name would be too long to fit on official merchandise. Using his pro contacts, Aedilred was able to recruit a number of experienced former Bloodknights players on free transfer, as well as bringing on board Lara von Krippen as team apothecary and Helmut Wulf on retainer for the start of the season. Former Sabres superstar Morr E.N. Tezz also provided a substantial injection of startup cash as what may well have been a tax write-off. It is somewhat scandalously rumoured that many of the Bats thralls were formerly seen in the kit of the Vells Valkyries, an U-19 "Blood Bowl Sevens" Amazon side who folded due to the mass disappearance of their players following a visit from the Count some years ago. Season VII Commissioner Crow was later to reflect that the Bats had perhaps the toughest first half of any team in their debut season, and the team certainly struggled, losing their opening two fixtures to the Sultans of Slaughter and new team BARK. To make matters worse, the team's only veteran thrall, Blaend Edjut, was killed by an overenthusiastic bite from Cristoforo Carandini. Going into the third week, Crow was already confident in calling the Bats the worst team in the league except for the Biffdoodle Balldroppers, a rookie halfling team. Week 3 provided a surprise, however, as a fortuitous disabling of Diggles Bouldercod helped the Bats to overcome veteran Skaven the Low-Down Dirty Rats. The Bats however failed to push on from that and returned to losing ways against Ultimate Feet and, most disappointingly, Murder Arson Jaywalking, who had been identified as the veterans they stood best chance of beating. They entered All-Star Week with only three points, one win and five losses to their name. Much was made of the Bats' apparent lack of "identity" and in particular the mercurial performances of Valerie von Streissenhower, who proved in the All-Star Longball Derby that she had the skills and available receivers to be one of the league's best throwers, but showed a curious reluctance to pass the ball. Against a rising tide of opinion that it was time to cut her, Aedilred stuck with his first-choice ballcarrier and was duly rewarded with a win over Da Monsters of da Midden, to give the Bats hope of qualification again. Again, though, any momentum was squandered with a loss to Three Moon Strikers the following week, which now left the Bats needing to win all their remaining games and for other results to go favourably. A win over the Iron Boyz kept them in contention, as did a surprise 1-0 victory over the wood elves of Brillanté. The last week saw the Bats face the Balldroppers, but a change in the halflings' philosophy meant that they were no longer a gimme, and had even drawn with BARK the previous week. Against a front line of three treemen the Bats laboured in producing a 1-0 win, which, thanks to other results, was enough to put them through in second place in Group B. The quarter-final saw them avenge their defeat against the Three Moon Strikers with a 2-1 victory and advance to face their divisional champions, Legends of Jam, in the semifinal. The Legends were the best passing team in the league, and the resulting game was high-scoring, Valerie finally cutting loose to allow the Bats to tie 3-3 with the Legends at the end of normal time. In injury time The Bats won the toss for added time and were able to finish the job on offence, winning a 4-3 thriller. And so the Bats reached the final, where nobody had expected to see them, facing the Low-Down Rats again. The game would essentially boil down to the Bats' trying to contain the Rats' superstar thrower Diggles Bouldercod, but the first half was to finish 1-1 with the Rats due to start the next offence. However, the vampire defence had been quietly getting itself organised over the second half of the season, and strength in depth proved sufficient as they stifled the Skaven advance, and turned the tables to score a decisive defensive touchdown. Holding out to the end of the match to secure a 2-1 result, the Bats were subsequently crowned cup champions, a result nobody could believe. Home Ground The Bats play their home matches in the scenic environs of the Bad Wreck at Bad Badenhof, a stadium which, following the events of the off-season, now lives up to its name rather more than it did in the heyday of the Razors. Sponsor A "discreet, tasteful" sponsorship deal has been arranged in which the team is officially sponsored by the sweetmeats brand long endorsed by Morr E.N. Tezz. Their flagship product, MENT-os, is apparently due to be released in a blood-flavoured variant soon. Players The following players have turned out for the Bats: *Amelia von Fohlen *Blaend Edjut *Count von Ruyven *Cristoforo Carandini *Evelyn Moulrée *Helmut Wulf *Ilsa van Lund *Julienne de Bain *Katharina von Busch *Leon Castiel *Count Luthor von Drakenborg *Mia von Vlach *Serena van der Woodsen *Tess de Rosé-Veldt *Titus von Pullhoffer *Valérie von Streissenhower *Vermilié de Hara Sideline and Coaching Staff *Lara von Krippen - Apothecary Trophy Cabinet Category:Vampires Category:Teams Category:Season VII